Who We Are
Apollo Fitness Championship/Community Health Fair (AFC/CHF) is a cooperative endeavor affording health care practitioners, fitness enthusiasts and the general public an opportunity to collectively address chronic illnesses and unhealthy lifestyles that negatively impact the well-being of residents, particularly young people
AFC/CHF takes a preventative approach to wellness, stressing education as a primary means to improve emotional and physical well-being. In this regard, our inaugural fair (2017) featured carefully crafted activities that emphasized the importance of healthy living. These included, demonstrations from renowned health care providers, instructive entertainment, enthusiastic volunteers and the crowning of a fitness champion (to inspire personal and collective ambitions). Additionally, AFC/CHF conducts monthly community workshops to maintain the momentum generated by the health fair.
Background
Apollo Fitness Championship/Community Health Fair (AFC/CHF) was founded in 2016 by Gary Gabriel, with Bethany Riggins-Walio joining in 2017. Mr. Gabriel and Ms. Riggins-Walio are New York City educators with over twenty years of combined experience. This up-close perspective elucidated the adverse effects that poor nutrition, and a lack of physical exercise, have on the cognitive and social abilities of their students. Accordingly, the search for solutions galvanized the commitment of these dedicated educators. However, Mr. Gabriel and Ms. Riggins-Walio soon realized the health and lifestyle issues impacting their students are far reaching, necessitating parental and community involvement.
The Apollo Fitness Championship (AFC)/Community Health Fair (CHF) is an annual event promoting health and wellness in the New York City area. This unique and cooperative project affords health care practitioners, fitness enthusiasts and the general public an opportunity to share ideas and information regarding ways to enhance the wellbeing of their community and its residents.
The primary focus of this project’s initiative is to eliminate the impact that poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyles have on the wellness and developmental abilities of young people, specifically middle and high school students. The AFC/CHF organizers, educators Gary Gabriel and Bethany Riggins-Walio, have devised a two-pronged approach to remedy the extant issues surrounding the health of their students/youth.
In New York City the issue of adequate health care, and related services, is a perennial hot button topic for citizens and city officials. However, the high level of chronic illnesses such as obesity and diabetes buttress the need for strategic intervention. Specifically, a comprehensive plan is needed to provide residents with quality information and services to improve their health and wellbeing.
If we connect this understanding to larger social realities, it becomes clear that unhealthy lifestyles diminish self-esteem and foster instances of domestic violence, substance abuse, crime and incarceration. As a result, with options for advancement limited dysfunction and illegality are used to ameliorate suffering. Unfortunately, quick fix approaches negatively impact adults and the children/youth in their care.
This leads to a second area of consideration; protecting and enhancing the wellbeing of young people. Unfortunately, far too many youth are drawn into the same cycle of hopelessness that negatively impacts the lives of their caregivers. This results in a plethora of issues that limit healthy development.
For example, poor nutrition (i.e. foods high in sugar or saturated fats) impairs cognitive function and social development, as manifested in classroom settings. These circumstances can further exacerbate pre-existing developmental issues (e.g. ADHD) and increase bullying, truancy and dropout rates. Unchecked, lasting effects may include teen pregnancy, juvenile crime/incarceration, narcotic use and a lack of adequate preparation for higher education and gainful employment. It is often with little recourse that young people are gripped by the same downward spiral of despair that engulfs many in their community.
To avoid the pitfalls of problematic lifestyle choices, students participating in the AFC/CHF project will enhance their development, and overall wellbeing, through the use of service projects that identify health disparities in their community. Through learning activities, students will gather evidence showing how health is not equal between income levels, ethnicities and related factors. Students will then use their knowledge to develop, or identify, specific actions that can promote healthy lifestyles to correct social imbalances. As a culminating activity, students will provide demonstrations and information for participant engagement to show how healthy living is both enjoyable and essential.
In this regard, the AFC/CHF project features a fitness challenge in which competitors participate in a physique contest to determine who is the most “fit” in the New York City. This activity dramatically emphasizes the nutritional and self-esteem benefits of a healthy lifestyle, giving attendees a “360” perspective regarding their well being. Further, the winners in the male and female categories are required to address public school children about the benefits of good nutrition and physical fitness.
The educational component of AFC/CHF is currently underway in the Belmont/East Fordham section of the Bronx. With a donation of space by West Bronx Academy for the Future, AFC/CHF provides the community with monthly self-enhancement workshops during the 2017/2018 school year. Currently, the following activities are featured: Self-Defense, Healthy Cooking, Guided Meditation, Makeovers (Love the Inner and Outer You!), Live Music, Dance/Zumba and Painting for creativity and relaxation. Local residents are encouraged to attend.
For additional information contact ggabriel@adcp.org, bwalio@westbronxacademy.org, jarivera@acdp.org or call 917-250-2699.